Perfect pair: Russian figure skaters Tarasova & Morzov set new world record in short program

Russian figure skating duo Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov have got off to a brilliant start at the world championship in Japan, delivering a superb performance in the pairs short program where they set a new world record.

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The season-ending figure skating event kicked off in Saitama, Japan, on Wednesday and world’s strongest pairs were awarded the right to open the competition.

Olympic runners-up Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China, who were forced to overcome an injury-plagued season, immediately set a high bar for the rest of the competitors breaking the world record in the short program by 0.77 points.

Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov © Global Look Press / Xinhua

However, their achievement stood less than an hour as the Russian couple demonstrated their breathtaking routine to the music of prominent Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov.

Tarasova and Morozov flawlessly executed all the elements, including triple parallel jump and throw triple loop, and received the highest scores from the strict judges.

The Russians posted unbelievable 81.21 points, breaking the short program world record and outscoring their Chinese rivals by almost two points.

One more Chinese couple Peng Cheng and Jin Yang are currently in third place, while Russia’s Natalia Zabiiako and Alexander Enbert sit fourth.

Reigning European champions, Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres of France, displayed a disastrous performance. They fell on their throw triple flip, a mistake which put them in seventh place, almost 13 points behind the leaders.

The world medalists in pair skating will be crowned on Thursday after pairs demonstrate their free programs.